Officials in Algeria are chiding television stations over the content choices they've made since the start of Ramadan last week, injecting religion into broader discussions about how the country regulates content and advertising in media.
Their criticisms come amid broader struggles facing journalists and broadcasters, where television stations and newspapers have historically relied heavily on advertising from the government and large state-aligned enterprises in the oil-rich nation.
After meeting with station directors on Sunday, Algerian Communications Minister Mohamed Lagab accused networks of not respecting ethical and professional lines, calling their programmatic choices "out of keeping with the social traditions of our society and especially the sacredness of the month of Ramadan."
Lagab, a former journalism school professor, preemptively rebuffed accusations of censorship, arguing that his ministry's push didn't run counter More